Operation: DADS
by AGB-13
Summary: Hoagie, Tommy, and Nigel go off to find out how their dads knew each other...and find out so much more. Please read and review.
1. It's Dad As A Kid!

_I was going to post this after Time Warp was finished, but I'd been wanting to make a Monty-Uno-and-Hoagie-Sr. fic since...oh, probably September._

_A few things to note - I do use flashback quite a bit. I know it's a cliched plot device, but I felt it worked best here that we actually see the events happening to Hoagie Sr. and Monty for ourselves rather than just hear someone explain them._

And as for romance...not planning on it. Not unless it's between two people already together on the show.

_And as for updating speed...don't expect a new chapter every day. I can't devote _all_ my time to a fanfiction._

---

Now Loading...

Kids Next Door Mission

Operation:

D.A.D.S.

Discoveries

Await

Duo's

Sons

---

Chapter One

_"Boys and girls, we have a new student today!"_

_Everyone in the classroom looked at the front of the class to see who had just joined the fourth grade at Gallagher Elementary._

_"Everyone," the teacher continued, "This is Hogarth P. Gilligan."_

_"Actually, I like to be called Hoagie." the boy pointed out._

_"Right then, Hoagie. Go find yourself a seat."_

_Hoagie walked down the closest aisle, looking for an empty seat through his yellow-lensed goggles._

_"Psst." a voice whispered from Hoagie's left._

_He looked in that direction to see a boy with scruffy, dark brown hair and square sunglasses. He motioned towards an empty desk to Hoagie's right._

_"Thanks!" Hoagie told the boy._

_"No problem." the boy said, in a British accent, "My name's Monty, by the way. Monty Uno."_

---

It was Saturday afternoon, and, once again, Hoagie P. Gilligan, Jr., also known as Numbuh Two of Sector V of the Kids Next Door, had to clean the garage. He was rummaging through yet another box of miscellaneous junk when he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Numbuh Two?"

Hoagie turned to the direction of the driveway, where his friend and sector leader, Nigel Uno, or Numbuh One, was standing.

"Oh, hey Numbuh One!" Hoagie happily greeted him.

"Shouldn't you be at the treehouse, working on those repairs to the M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H.?"

"I would, but Mom wants me and Tommy to finish cleaning the garage."

"Looks like it's just you cleaning."

"No, Tommy's in here. He's probably buried under something...Tommy, where are you?"

"Over here!" shouted Tommy, as his hand rose up from a pile of discarded 2x4 machinery. His hand hit a tower of boxes, which teetered back and forth before it finally leaned over Hoagie.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" he shrieked, as the boxes collapsed and fell on him, before he had a chance to run out of the way.

"Hoagie?!" Tommy exclaimed, crawling out of the pile and towards the mess. Nigel rushed over, and the two tossed away the boxes and assorted junk piled on Hoagie. Eventually, he got up, with a little help from Tommy and Nigel, and brushed himself off.

"Geez, watch it next time, Tommy..." he muttered, unaware there was a old, beat-up photograph stuck in the strap of his goggles.

"Um, Numbuh Two..." Nigel pointed out, "You've got something stuck...there!" He pulled the photo away, then glanced at it. Suddenly, Nigel's expression changed to one of disbelief.

"Something wrong, Numbuh One?" Hoagie asked. Nigel didn't respond.

"Lemme see!" Tommy exclaimed, then grabbed the photo from Nigel's hand.

"What is it?" Hoagie asked.

"It's...it's Dad as a kid! And there's some other kid standing next to him..."

"That's my dad." Nigel stated, "Numbuh Zero."

"WHAT?!" Hoagie shouted, then grabbed the photo from Tommy. Sure enough, the photo depicted two ten-year-old boys. One was wearing the same pilot's cap and goggles Hoagie was wearing, and the other wore square-shaped sunglasses, and had a giant "0" on him.

"Numbuh One, you didn't tell me our dads knew each other!" Hoagie exclaimed.

"I...I didn't..." Nigel stammered, "He did mention some of his teammates in the Book of KND...but I'm not sure if any of them were your dad."

"Where DID you put that book, anyway?"

"I sent it to the Moonbase for safekeeping."

"Think they'll let me flip through it?"

"I don't see why not..."

"Then let's go!" Hoagie said, heading outside.

"Wait!" Tommy called to his brother, "If you're going on a mission, you might need assistance from...the TOMMY!"

"I'm just going to the Moon, Tommy. You stay here and finish cleaning."

"B-but I wanna come with you! He's _my_ dad, too!"

Hoagie sighed, and looked at Nigel for support.

"I'm not sure they'll let civilians in the Moonbase..." Nigel began.

"But I used to be in the Kids Next Door!" Tommy whined, "And I saved you guys from being animals!"

"Oh, all right," Nigel groaned, "I'll see what I can do when we get there."

As the boys left the garage, anxious about what they would find out, none of them realized just what was in store for them, and what long-hidden information would come to light.


	2. Numbuhs

**Chapter Two**

_It was recess, and Monty was showing Hoagie around the playground._

_"...and one more thing," he explained, "Stay out of the jungle gym. The last kid that went in there never came back."_

_"Got it." Hoagie said._

_"You think you're gonna be all right here?"_

_"Yeah, I think I-"_

_Just then, Monty turned his attention to a couple of bigger kids taunting a meek, shivering boy. He had dark brown, almost black, hair, and square-rimmed glasses._

_"Be right back." Monty told Hoagie. He dashed in the direction of the bullies and their victim._

_"Hey!" he shouted, getting the bullies' attention, "Let go of him."_

_"Oh, um, right away, Monty!" one of the bullies said, and he and the others immediatly left the still-shaking boy alone._

_"What just happened?" Hoagie asked, as he approached the two._

_"I wasn't just going to let them hurt my little brother." Monty explained, "Hoagie, this is Ben. Ben, this is Hoagie.:_

_"Nice to meet you." Hoagie greeted Ben as friendly as possible.  
_

_"Um...h-hi..." Ben stuttered._

_"You okay?"_

_"Don't worry about it." Monty said, "He gets nervous around new people."_

_"Anyway," Hoagie began, changing the subject, "Why'd those bullies stop teasing Ben just because you told them to?"_

_"Well...I don't mean to brag...but I'm pretty well-respected around here..."_

_"Really? Wow, you must have done something pretty impressive..."_

_"Ever hear of the Kids Next Door?"_

_"Well...back in my old town, we'd heard a lot about them, but all the adults said that it was all just a big rumor..."_

_"What did you expect? They're _adults_. The Kids Next Door does exist...and I should know."_

_"You're in it?"_

_"Not just in it - I'm _leading_ it."_

_"'Leading it'?" Hoagie asked, then gasped. "You mean...you're...you're...Numbuh Zero?!"_

_Monty simply nodded, answering Hoagie's question. Just then, the bell rang._

_"You gotta tell me more on the way to class!" Hoagie told Monty as they walked back towards the school, then quickly glanced back at Ben._

_"Nice meeting you!" Hoagie shouted to his new friend's brother, but Ben didn't respond, and joined the crowd going back into the building._

---

Nigel opened a door at the end of the Moonbase corridor he, Hoagie, and Tommy had been walking down. It opened up to a small room, with a pedestal in the center, displaying the Book of KND.

"Go ahead." Nigel told Hoagie. Hoagie, with Tommy following behind, entered the room, and approached the book. He picked it up, then flipped through the pages, looking for any signs that his dad had written his story in there, too.

"Wait, Hoagie!" Tommy suddenly exclaimed, after a couple seconds, "I think I saw a picture of Dad in there!"

Hoagie flipped through the pages he'd gone past, until Tommy pointed to the one he had seen.

"It_ is _Dad!" Hoagie said, relieved they'd found the right page, "Now what was his Num...buh?"

"What's wrong?" Tommy asked.

"It says here he was _also_ Numbuh Two..."

"No way!"

"Hey, I'm not making this up!"

"Is it even possible?"

"Sometimes Numbuhs get reused, but the odds of me getting the same one as Dad...this is all too weird."

As Nigel stayed outside the room, his communicator rang.

"Hello?" Nigel answered it, then stepped a few feet away from the room so he could hear the message over Hoagie and Tommy's conversation.

"So, what did Dad write here, anyway?" Tommy asked his brother.

"Well, let's see...it says here that-" Hoagie began.

"Numbuh Two!" Nigel shouted to his teammate, "We have to leave NOW! It's an emergency!"

"But..." Hoagie began.

"You can read it some other time!"

Hoagie sighed, and ran out of the room, following his leader. Tommy hesitated, looking back at the book. Still filled with curiousity, and not having much time to make a decision, he snatched the book, and tore his dad's page out.

"I'll just put it back in later..." Tommy assured himself, as he replaced the book, and quickly folded the page into his pocket. He then rushed out of the room, attempting to catch up.


	3. A Recruitment and An Attack

**Chapter Three**

_"Hoagie?" Monty called into the garage, from inside the Gilligans' house. It had been three weeks since the boys had met, and Monty had come over to his friend's house to discuss an assignment they'd been paired up for._

_Just then, Monty saw something in the garage that caught his eye. To the average person, it would appear to be a big piece of junk, but to a Kids Next Door operative, it was a fine piece of 2x4 technology - a small airplane._

_"Hey, Monty!" Hoagie greeted from behind the plane._

_"Hoagie...what is this?"_

_"Oh, this? Just a little project of mine..."_

_"Does it work?"_

_"Yeah, it does. I took this thing for a test flight the other night, when there was a full moon out, so I could see better. Of course, it's not the only thing I'm working on. You should see the trike I'm-"_

_"I just want to see if this thing can fly."_

_Without a word, Hoagie got into the plane. He pressed a button in the aircraft, and the large garage door lifted up. Hoagie then started up the plane, and once the door was out of the way, he took off._

_Monty followed the plane out of the garage and watched as it flew off the ground and above the neighborhood. Hoagie piloted it on a straight course at first, then, apparently in a playful mood, he made a few loop-de-loops before finally landing the plane back into the garage._

_"You want a turn?" Hoagie asked Monty._

_"Did you really build this yourself?" Monty asked._

_"Yeah, why?"_

_"Well, the Kids Next Door, including myself, have been trying to build 2x4 technology aircraft for a while now, using old blueprints from the previous generation of KND operatives, but we haven't had much success...not like you have here, anyway. At least your plane stayed in the air."_

_Hoagie kept listening, his mind racing with ideas of what Monty could be getting at._

_"The point is," Monty continued, "That we could use someone like you in the Kids Next Door."_

_"Really?!" Hoagie asked, excited, "You mean it?! Wait, do I have to go through any training first?"_

_"At the moment, we're just looking for kids with the right skills. What do you say?"_

_"Sure thing, Monty - er, I mean, Numbuh Zero."_

---

"What _happened_ here?!" Hoagie exclaimed, as he, Nigel, and Tommy got out of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and into in the hangar of the Sector V treehouse.

Only now, it seemed to be half a treehouse. The entire place, particularly the hangar, was badly damaged, as if there had been a battle, and no one was in sight.

"HIIIII!" greeted a familiar voice. The boys turned in the direction of the voice to see Kuki Sanban, a.k.a. Numbuh Three, popping out from behind the heavily-damaged C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.

"Numbuh Three!" Nigel said, relieved to see at least one of his teammates was still around, "Where are Numbuhs Four and Five?!"

"Right here!" responded the voice of Abigail Lincoln, a.k.a. Numbuh Five. She was running into the hangar, with Wallabee "Wally" Beetles, a.k.a. Numbuh Four following behind.

"Are you guys all right?" Hoagie asked.

"Yeah," Wally replied, "You're lucky you weren't here."

"Huh?"

"We were attacked by Father." Abby began, "He and the ice cream men were just tearin' up the place, and he was demanding to know where _you_ were."

"Why would Father wanna know where I was?!" Hoagie asked, confused.

"If he's looking for you, then maybe we should check your house," Nigel suggested, "He'd probably try there next."

"O-okay..." Hoagie replied, trying to think clearly, after all that had happened so far.

As the rest of the team got ready to leave, Tommy confronted his older brother.

"Why do you think Father's after you?" he asked in curiousity.

"I don't know..." Hoagie sighed, "The only time I can remember doing anything to make him angry was that time at Toobathon...and if he was mad about that, he'd go after me right away instead of waiting this long."

"Maybe he thinks you've got something he wants?"

"I don't have anything an evil adult would go after me for!"

"NUMBUH TWO!" Nigel shouted, "Are you coming or not?!"

"Come on, let's go." Hoagie told his brother, as they joined the rest of Sector V in the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., unsure if they'd find the Gilligan home in better shape than the treehouse.


	4. Now We're Getting Somewhere

**Chapter Four**

_"So...what do you think so far?" Hoagie asked Monty, unveiling his latest aircraft in the Gilligans' garage. The vehicle was essentially a camper, but it had huge rockets attached to it._

_"It doesn't look like much," Hoagie continued, "But it can go over eleventy hundred miles an hour, can hold an entire team of operatives, and I'm going to be making more adjustments later this week. It'll have a weapons system, and will even be able to go into _space_!"_

_"Sounds good so far, Numbuh Two. What are you going to call it?" Monty asked, looking it over._

_"Well...I'm not sure. I still haven't gotten the hang of coming up with cool names like the rest of the Kids Next Door. Still, that can wait. After those adjustments, we still gotta build that treehouse, and - "_

_Just then, Hoagie was interrupted, as a large, white ice cream truck zoomed past the household, as a straggling group of kids tried to keep up._

_"Think it's ready for a test flight now?" Monty asked._

_"Probably. Why?"_

_"We're going after that ice cream truck."_

_"Wow, do you really want ice cream that bad?"_

_"It's not the ice cream we're going after."_

_"Okay, now I'm confused."_

_"I'll explain on the way."_

_Hoagie got into the camper first and started up the engine. Monty followed, and the vehicle took off, in hot pursuit of the ice cream truck._

_"So, why are we going after this truck, anyway?" Hoagie asked._

_"Seeing as you've only been in the Kids Next Door for about a week and a half," Monty began, "I can't blame you for not knowing about how we arrested a certain group of ice cream men last month, after they wouldn't stop for kids and would only sell ice cream to adults."_

_"I guess you could say they were giving kids the..._cold _shoulder!"_

_"...um, sure. Anyway, one of them escaped the other day, and I'll bet anything that's him."_

_"But how're we gonna catch him if we don't have weapons yet?"_

_"We'll find a way. Just to be safe, can this thing stand a crash?"_

_"WHAT?!"_

_As if to answer Monty's question, the camper crashed into the ice cream truck, bringing both vehicles to a screeching halt. Monty jumped out of the crashed camper to confront the ice cream man, while Hoagie looked around him, figuring out just how bad the damage was._

_"Well, nothing I can't fix..." he sighed, getting out of his seat. Hoagie got out of the camper to see a group of kids surrounding the area. Monty had the ice cream man cuffed, and was speaking into a communicator. Hoagie ran over to join his leader._

_"Did you contact the KND Prison?" Hoagie asked._

_"They agreed to send a couple of operatives, after I told them we weren't going to be able to do it ourselves."_

_"Sounds good. Well, we'd better get go-OOF!"_

_Hoagie had just bumped into one of the kids in the crowd, and both landed on the ground. Hoagie got up first, and turned to the girl he had accidentally knocked down._

_"Sorry about that." he said, helping her up, "You okay?"_

_"Oh, I'm all right," she said, "Are you?" The slightly chubby girl was a little shorter than Hoagie, had blue-rimmed glasses and short brown hair, and was wearing a light blue dress._

_"Hoagie, come on, let's-" Monty began, then noticed the girl._

_"Betty?!" he exclaimed._

_"I...take it you know each other?" Hoagie asked._

_"Yeah, Betty's an old friend of me and Ben." Monty replied, approaching the two, "She and her family moved away more than a year ago, though."_

_"We're moving back now." Betty told the boys, then turned to Monty, "Who's your friend?"_

_"Betty, this is Hoagie." Monty answered, "I think you two will get along just fine."_

---

Hoagie and Nigel walked through the Gilligans' house, which had been completely trashed, as they tried to figure out what happened.

"Numbuh Two, are you sure you don't have anything Father wants?" Nigel asked, "It seems he thinks you do."

"I don't!" Hoagie told Nigel, then looked around at the rubble, "I'm just glad Mom's still out of the house...maybe Tommy and I could get most of this cleaned before she gets home."

"When is she coming home?"

"Um, around 6:00."

"Good. That will give the rest of the team enough time to investigate the area for any clues about why Father's after you, while we go track him down."

"You sure it's a good idea? I mean, he _is_ after me..."

"Don't worry - I'll watch your back."

"As will...THE TOMMY!" shouted Tommy, from behind the boys.

"Tommy, you can't come." Hoagie sighed, "Stay here with the rest of Sector V."

"But I wanna fight Father with you guys!"

"You can't come with us, Tommy."

"Why not?!"

"It's too risky!"

"For you or me?"

"I'd say both."

"I fought Father before...I can do it again!"

"All right, all right, fine. You can come along."

As Hoagie and Nigel began to leave, Tommy remembered the ripped-out page in his pocket, and a question he had after reading a little bit of it.

"Hey, Numbuh One?" he asked, "Do you know anyone named Benedict Uno?"

"Why?" Nigel asked, looking a little nervous.

"Well, when Hoagie and I found Dad's page in the book of KND, I saw your dad's name, and then it mentioned a kid named Benedict Uno. I kinda guessed you were related..."

"He's my uncle." Nigel quickly responded, "Let's go."

The tone in Nigel's voice made Tommy suspicious, but he followed him and Hoagie without any comment.


	5. Ben and Hoagie

_Guys, I know this sounds whiny, but if you do read these chapters, could you review them too, please? I ALWAYS like to know how I can improve on this stuff._

---

**Chapter Five**

_"Hey, guys!" Hoagie called to Monty, Betty, and Ben. It was before school, and Hoagie was running towards the group, which was gathered near the flagpole. Monty and Betty met up with Hoagie, while Ben stayed near the flagpole, looking a little upset._

_"What is it?" Monty asked. Hoagie pulled out a flyer from his pocket._

_"Check this out," he said, showing the flyer for his friends to see._

_"'Come to the First Annual Toobathon'," Betty read, "'An anything-goes tube race for kids of all ages!' Ooo, that sounds fun!"_

_"'Anything-goes', huh?" Monty remarked, looking intrigued._

_"Yeah, according to this, you can design your own tube," Hoagie added, "AND there's trophies for first, second, and third place."_

_"I can't wait to see what _you_ come up with." Betty told Hoagie, smiling._

_"I don't need to come up with anything. I've been in these kinds of races before, and I've already got a tube...not to mention a little thing called 'farfegtubin'."_

_"What's 'farfegtubin'?" Monty asked._

_"I'll explain at the race."_

_"So, when is Toobathon, anyway?"_

_"Next Saturday." Hoagie, responded, then looked over at Ben, who had been listening to the conversation._

_"Hey, Ben!" Hoagie called to him, "You wanna come to Toobathon on Saturday?"_

_"I dunno..." Ben replied, "I don't know if I'd be that good..."_

_"C'mon, it'll be fun!"_

_Ben was silent, until the school bell rang, breaking the awkward silence. Ben went off on his own, while Hoagie, Monty, and Betty entered the school together._

_"Is something wrong with Ben?" Hoagie asked._

_"I think so." sighed Monty, "I mean, ever since I started hanging out with you, he's been...different."_

_"I've noticed it, too." Betty added, turning to Monty, "Remember last week at recess, when Hoagie invited us to play in that dodgeball game?"_

_"Yeah...that Australian girl really kicked our butts."_

_"But did you see how Ben looked when Hoagie arrived? He looked like he was annoyed by him. I can't remember any time when Ben thought anyone was annoying."_

_"Me neither."_

_"So...you think this might be my fault?" Hoagie asked._

_"No. Ben still doesn't know you that well." Monty answered._

_"Maybe I should try to be a little friendlier to him..."_

_"It could work."_

_"I'm gonna go to my locker." Betty told the boys, "See you, Monty! Bye, Hoagie!"_

_"See you later, Betty." Hoagie said._

_"You know," Monty remarked slyly, "I think she's taking a liking to you."_

_"What do you mean?" Hoagie asked._

_"Oh, nothing..." Monty replied, then headed for his locker._

---

Nigel, Hoagie, and Tommy were in the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., hidden among a patch of trees near the Delightful Mansion.

"You think the coast is clear?" Hoagie asked.

"Father's probably still out looking for you." Nigel replied, "If I know Father, I know that he doesn't quit that easily."

"So we can sneak in now?"

"Right."

The boys stepped out of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., dashing towards the nearest window of the mansion. Nigel opened the window and let Hoagie and Tommy in, then crawled in himself. When the boys had gotten into the mansion, they noticed there were two hallways they could go down - one in front of them, and one on their right.

"Numbuh Two, you and Tommy take that hallway," Nigel ordered, pointing to the one in front of them, "I'll take the one to the right."

As Nigel headed down the hallway on the right, Hoagie and Tommy followed orders, and snuck down the hallway in front of them.

"What are we looking for, anyway?" Tommy asked.

"Anything that might tell us what Father's up to." Hoagie answered, looking around, "You know, Father's got an 'inner sanctum' downstairs - not even the Delightful Children are allowed there. If I were an evil villain, that's probably where I'd put anything to do with any evil plans I had."

"Well, where is it?"

"I'll show you - come on!"

The brothers ran down the hallway, while, at the same time, made sure they weren't being detected. Suddenly, they heard the sound of a door opening and closing, and stopped in their tracks.

"Father!" exclaimed five monotone voices, from behind a nearby door, "Where were you?! We woke up this morning and you weren't there..."

"Sounds like Father just came home." Hoagie whispered, "Keep quiet."

"Well, I was TRYING to track down that Numbuh Two kid," Father grumbled, "But-"

"Numbuh..._Two_?" the Delightful Children said, dumbfounded.

"Yes, Numbuh TWO. Now, as I was SAYING-"

"But what would you want with a..._doofus_ like Hoagie Gilligan?!"

"It's not what I want from HIM...it's what I want from his DAD."

Tommy and Hoagie looked at each other in shock at this last statement.

"Does...does this mean Dad's alive?!" Tommy whispered.

"It _sounds_ like it." Hoagie replied.

"Wait, how does Father know our dad?"

"I don't know, but if Dad's alive, we've gotta find him before Father does."


	6. Farfegtubin and a Confession

**Chapter Six**

_Saturday had arrived, and all the kids in town had gathered at Toobathon. Monty and Betty were standing by the river, chatting and waiting for Hoagie, while Ben was inflating his tube, looking unsure about whether he really wanted to be there. Just then, Hoagie arrived, carrying his inner tube on his shoulder._

_"Hey, guys!" he greeted Monty and Betty, but their attention was directed at his tube. It was a dark blue, slightly beat-up thing, and it had the name "Betsy" written on it._

_"THAT'S your tube?" Monty asked._

_"Okay, she doesn't LOOK impressive," Hoagie admitted, then smiled, "But when it comes to tubing, all I need is Betsy and farfegtubin."_

_"You never told us what that was." Betty pointed out._

_"I'll tell you what farfegtubin is - it's all about trust, faith, and the melding of kid and tube into the perfect racing machine. And thanks to that, I've won every race I've ever been in - heck, I bet that Betsy here could do more than just that! Why...she could save all the kids in town!"_

_"Yeah...I'm sure she could." Monty told Hoagie, to humor him. By now, he and Betty had noticed that Hoagie had a tendency to exaggerate._

_Just then Hoagie noticed Ben, who was still working on his tube._

_"Hey, Ben!" Hoagie greeted him, "Looks like you decided to come after all."_

_Ben stayed silent, as he added a little more air to his tube._

_"I don't get it..." Hoagie remarked to Monty and Betty, "I've been friendly to him all week! What did I ever do to Ben?"_

_"Actually," Monty sighed, "I think I might've figured out what's wrong with him. You see-"_

_"ATTENTION!" a voice shouted, "ALL RACERS COME TO THE STARTING LINE NOW!"_

_"I'll tell you later." Monty quickly finished, as he dashed into the water, while Betty followed suit._

_"Good luck!" she shouted to Hoagie, as she got in the water._

_Hoagie, confident about the race, stepped into the water, and swam out as close to the starting line as possible, pulling his tube through the water. Just then, he noticed Ben, hesitating to get in the river._

_"Come on, Ben!" he called, "What're you waiting for?"_

_"I don't think I wanna be in this race anymore," Ben replied, "I've never been in a tubing race before, and I'm not that great a swimmer..."_

_"Aw, c'mon, you'll do fine." Hoagie said, "Trust me."_

_"Well...okay." Ben finally agreed, slowly stepping into the river._

_Hoagie smiled, and headed towards the starting line, pulling his tube._

_"Well, Betsy," he confided to it, "I think this is gonna be a race to remember."_

---

"Father, did you hear something?" the Delightful Children's voices inquired, alarming Tommy and Hoagie.

"Time to go." Hoagie hurriedly told Tommy. The brothers got up and rushed down the corridor in the direction of the window they had entered the house through.

"Shouldn't we contact Numbuh One?!" Tommy asked.

"As soon as we get out of here!" Hoagie replied.

"You're not going ANYWHERE!" boomed a voice from behind the boys. Tommy and Hoagie turned around to see the silhouetted figure of Father looming right behind them.

"How did you-" Hoagie began, but was interrupted as flames burst from Father's hands.

"WHERE...IS...HE?!" Father shouted.

"I-if you're talking about Dad...I-I didn't even know he was alive!"

"Wh-what do you want with Dad, anyway?" Tommy stuttered.

"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Father screamed, now completely in flames.

"Hey, is that Dad over there?" Hoagie said, pointing behind Father. While Father momentarily looked behind him, Hoagie and Tommy ran off.

"Almost...there..." Hoagie panted, as they reached the end of the corridor. As the brothers arrived at the still-open window, Nigel arrived on the scene, a S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. in hand.

"I heard shouting," he explained, "What's going on?"

"We'llexplainlaterrightnowwe'vegottaRUN!" Hoagie answered, jumping out the window. Tommy followed him, and Nigel, although still not sure what was going on, jumped out, too, closing the window behind him. The boys ran off towards the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., still parked behind the trees.

"All right, NOW can you tell me what's going on?" Nigel asked Hoagie, as they all got into the vehicle.

"Father's not after me," Hoagie answered, "He's after my dad!"

"He's still alive?!" Nigel gasped.

"I guess so...but I don't know why he would be after him..."

"Tommy," Nigel addressed the younger Gilligan brother, "What _exactly_ did your dad's page in the Book of KND say about a 'Benedict Uno'?"

"I don't think Tommy could have seen that much." Hoagie pointed out, "Wait...what does this uncle of yours have to do with Father?"

"I...I have a confession to make." Nigel sighed, "Remember back when we found out my dad was Numbuh Zero? Well...I also found out something even more shocking...you see...Father and Benedict Uno are the same person."

"You mean Father's your _uncle_?!"

"Yes...but that's-"

"So, the guy we've been fighting this WHOLE TIME is _related_ to you?!"

"Numbuh Two, that's not the point! If the Book of KND mentioned that your dad and Father knew each other, then we should take a closer look at that page."

"Um...Numbuh One?" Tommy spoke up, "This is kinda awkward, but...I kinda...took that page out..."

"YOU _WHAT?!_"

---

_"On your marks...get set...GO!"_

_The Toobathon racers took off and sped off through the water. As Hoagie pushed himself and Betsy through the water, he noticed Ben catching up to him._

_"See, what did I tell ya?" Hoagie said to him, "Pretty fun, right?"_

_"Yeah..." Ben replied, smiling for the first time since he had arrived, "This isn't so bad!"_

_"Hey, heads-up - waterfall up ahead."_

_"Waterfall?!"_

_Sure enough, the racers were all heading towards a rather large waterfall. Each kid shouted or squealed in excitement as they went over and down to the water below._

_"Um, Hoagie, I don't know if this is too safe..." Ben whimpered._

_"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Hoagie assured him, then pushed himself and Betsy off onto the waterfall, as Ben nervously watched._

_"WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!" Hoagie shouted, as he zoomed down towards the bottom of the falls. He and his tube splashed down into the river below, and then quickly floated away._

_"Hey, Hoagie!" shouted Monty's voice. Hoagie turned to see Monty and Betty nearby._

_"How're you doing so far?" Hoagie asked them._

_"Great, how about you?" Betty asked._

_"Um, Hoagie?" Monty asked, "Have you seen Ben? I haven't seen him since the race began."_

_"Sure I have." Hoagie replied, "He should be here any minute."_

_As soon as Hoagie said this, an empty tube floated by them. All three kids immediately recognized this as the inner tube Ben had been using._

_"That can't be a good sign..." Hoagie quietly commented._


	7. Ben Flips Out

**Chapter Seven**

"Look, I can explain..." Tommy began.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Nigel shouted, as Hoagie, attempting to stay out of the arguement, piloted the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.

"I-I dunno, I just-"

"YOU DON'T JUST GO RIPPING PAGES OUT OF THE BOOK OF KND!"

"But I really wanted to know about Dad! Besides, we can just put it back in...right?"

"That's not the point, Tommy! You know what? Maybe I shouldn't have taken you to the Moonbase."

"Hey, if I hadn't taken that page out, we wouldn't have found out that Father knew Dad! I mean, why else would he be mentioned here?"

"Okay, FINE, you have a point there, but the Book of KND is an extremely important Kids Next Door document! You can't - wait a minute, Numbuh Two, where are we going?"

"We're heading back to my house." Hoagie replied.

"Good thinking; we'll drop Tommy off and return that page. " Nigel stated.

"So...what did that page say about Father, anyway?" Hoagie asked his brother.

"Something about how the Kids Next Door should probably 'keep an eye on him'." Tommy replied, "Maybe he was evil back then, too?"

---

_"We've gotta go look for Ben!" Monty exclaimed, panicking._

_Forgetting the race for a moment, all three kids swam in their tubes towards the waterfall, pushing against the current of the water._

_"Ben? BEN!" they cried out, searching through the water. Other kids swerved out of the way as they floated along, occasionally glancing at the group in curiousity._

_"Guys, I think I found him!" Monty exclaimed. Betty and Hoagie watched as Monty dove into the river, and came out carrying Ben, unconscious. Monty took his brother onto the shore while his friends followed. Hoagie and Betty shared a look of concern._

_"Is he...?" Hoagie began. Just then, Ben started coughing up water, as Monty let out a sigh of relief._

_"Ben, do you want to get back in the race now?" Monty asked, "I'm sure your tube couldn't have gotten too far..."_

_"No." Ben replied, "I'm going back and wait for the race to be over."_

"_You okay?" Hoagie asked him, but Ben walked off into the nearby woods and headed uphill. Hoagie grabbed his tube and followed him._

"_Ben!" Hoagie called, "Are you sure that-"_

"_Don't talk to me!" Ben snapped, taking Hoagie by surprise._

"_What's wrong with you? I've never seen you like this..."_

"_Oh, sure, you just see me as some quiet, nerdy little kid you can just ignore and talk about like I'm not even there!"_

"_Oh...sorry about that..."_

"_As if that weren't enough, you had to steal away the only two people I could really talk to! First, you kept hanging out with Monty. I mean, ever since he started up the Kids Next Door, he's got less time for hanging out with anyone outside the KND - even his own brother! You just made things worse!"_

"_Ben, if I knew that - "_

"_And then there's Betty. She was one of mine and Monty's best friends before she moved, and I thought it was great that she came back, so I would finally have someone to hang out with. But then she started crushing on you - "_

"_So THAT'S what Monty meant by 'taking a liking' to me..."_

"_Stop interrupting me! Why do Monty and Betty like you anyway? You're just an annoying kid who can't shut up, and thinks he's SO cool just because he can build a plane out of a pile of junk! You almost had me convinced that you were okay, too...but then you pressured me to get into the race even though I SAID I couldn't swim well!"_

"_I just wanted you to lighten up a little. You were having fun before - "_

"_Shut UP! I told you not to talk to me!"_

_Hoagie was speechless. At that last word, he thought he heard Ben's voice get a little deeper for a second..._

"_Ben, I'm sorry." he finally said._

"_You don't mean it!" Ben exclaimed, too angry to control himself, "Just...just...GO AWAY!"_

_At these last words, there was a burst of flame coming from Ben's closed fist, though, shockingly, he didn't seem to care. Hoagie gasped, and ran off, tube in hand, back to the river._

"_I gotta tell Monty about this..." he thought aloud, as he got back into the race._

_---_

_It was about half an hour later when Hoagie approached the finish line. His confrontation with Ben had put him in last place, and Monty and Betty were waiting by the shore._

"_What happened, Hoagie?" Betty asked, "We were worried about you!"_

"_I'm okay, Betty," Hoagie said, "But can I talk to Monty for a moment?"_

_Betty nodded, and ran off. Hoagie got onto the shore and faced Monty._

"_Something's REALLY wrong with Ben." he began, "When I was talking to him...he just flipped out! I don't know how he could get so angry! And then, when he got really, REALLY mad - "_

"_Did he burst into flames?" Monty asked._

"_No...just his fist..."_

"_Hoagie, there's something I should tell you about my family. But you've got to promise not to get too freaked out."_

---

At the Gilligan household, Hoagie and Tommy were almost done cleaning the garage.

"I shouldn't have ripped that page out..." Tommy muttered.

"Look, can we drop this?" Hoagie asked, "It's back in the Book of KND now."

"Should we really be here while Father's looking for Dad?"

"If Father leaves his mansion, the Kids Next Door will contact us."

"Really?"

"An operative and his family are in danger. Do you really think they're gonna sit around and do nothing?"

"I guess you're right."

"Y'know, I think the garage is clean enough now. Wanna go watch Yipper?"

"Sure!" Tommy replied, then bolted for the door, shouting, "Beat you to the living room!"

"HA! I don't think so!" said Hoagie, chasing his brother.

The Gilligan brothers raced to the TV, getting a moment of relaxation, and not knowing what was in store for them the next day.


	8. Blah, Blah, Blah

_...not the most exciting chapter. But, hey, they can't all be winners._

**Chapter Eight**

_"You're...you're kidding, right?"_

_Monty and Hoagie were the only kids left after Toobathon. They were sitting near the river, and Monty had just finished telling Hoagie about his family._

_"You've gotta be kidding!" Hoagie exclaimed again, "How could a kid like you come from a family of superpowered villains?!"_

_"I probably take more after Mum," Monty replied, shrugging, "The point is, I think Ben's personality is starting to change. It's happened to about half the people in my family - they start getting moody and temperamental, and then...something just makes them snap, and after a while - usually about ten years - they turn _completely_ evil."_

_"How's that possible?"_

_"I'm not sure. I just feel bad that you had to find out about it this way."_

_"Yeah, I mean, _I'm_ the one that made him snap."_

_"If he's going to be anything like Pappy, we should keep a close eye on him." Monty stated, then got up, "Anyway, it's getting late..."_

_Hoagie got up, and followed Monty as they walked away from the river._

_"You gonna be okay?" he asked, "I mean, Ben _is_ your brother."_

_"I think I'll be okay..." Monty replied, though he seemed unsure, "I mean...he's not entirely evil yet..."_

_The boys tried to get their minds on something else as they walked home, although they were both still uneasy about the situation._

---

It was early the next day, and Hoagie and Tommy had arrived at the Sector V treehouse, where Nigel was waiting for them.

"Any news on Father?" Hoagie asked.

"He's out searching for your dad again, apparently." Nigel replied, "Speaking of your dad, do you know anything about where he might be?"

"Numbuh One, I wasn't even sure he was _alive_." Hoagie pointed out.

"But all we know for sure is that he went missing," Tommy added, "So he could've been alive this whole time!"

"Well, if we find out where your dad is," Nigel explained, "We can get there before Father does. And, believe it or not, Global Command is actually organizing a search for your dad."

"Really?" Hoagie commented, "I mean, I figured they'd just keep an eye on Father or something. I could see them sending out a search party for a current operative, but not a former one..."

There was a pause as Nigel and Hoagie came to the same realization.

"Wow..." Nigel commented, "I guess your dad must've been really good..."

"Yeah..._wow_..." Hoagie said in amazement.

"But wait...how come they kept him in, but decommissioned _my_ dad?"

"Um...what are you guys talking about?" Tommy asked.

"I'll explain later." Hoagie replied, "So, what're the orders, Numbuh One?"

"Actually..." Nigel said, "Global Command wants you to lay low until Father returns to the Delightful Mansion."

"What?!"

"Numbuh Two, I understand how personal this situation is, and I know you want to get involved, but those are the orders. Think about it - what do you think would happen if you ran into Father while he was trying to find your dad?"

Hoagie and Tommy briefly glanced at each other, remembering their encounter with Father the other day.

"All right." Hoagie sighed, "I'll just take Tommy home, then..."

---

"Hoagie?"

It had been two hours since Hoagie and Tommy had been orderd to "lay low", and, in the Gilligan household, it had been half an hour since Hoagie had gone into the garage. Tommy was knocking on the door to the garage, wondering what his brother could be doing.

"Hoagie, we're done cleaning the garage." Tommy pointed out, "What're you doing?" When there was no response, Tommy opened the door. Inside the garage, Hoagie was rummaging through one of the boxes he and Tommy had set aside the previous day.

"What's going on?" Tommy asked.

"I'm trying to find any stuff from when Dad was a kid." Hoagie answered, "Then maybe we can figure out what Father would want from him. But so far...nothing. Hey, what's this?"

Hoagie pulled out a small, rectangle-shaped object from the box. It appeared to be a 2x4 technology remote, with a single button on it. Hoagie pressed the button, but nothing seemed to happen.

"Maybe it's bro-" Tommy began, but was interrupted by a _thud_ from elsewhere in the house.


	9. Important Papers

**Chapter Nine**

_"Something wrong, Monty?"_

_It had been five years since the Toobathon incident, and Hoagie and Monty were sitting at their table in the cafeteria of McClintock High School. Monty was noticeably distressed over something._

_"Hmm...lemme guess..." Hoagie thought aloud, trying to figure out what was upsetting Monty, "Does it have something to do with Ben?"_

_"How could you tell?" Monty asked._

_"Lucky guess. What's going on with him?"_

_"I found this in his room."_

_Monty pulled out a folded-up piece of paper from his pocket and tossed it to Hoagie. Hoagie unfolded it and stared at the contents of it._

_"...'Delightfulization Chamber'?" he read._

_"It's some kind of mind control to use on kids." Monty explained, "We need to report this to the Kids Next Door immediately."_

_"But Ben couldn't possibly build this - I mean, just look at all the materials he'd need! And even if he did build it, I honestly don't think it could work."_

_"I still say we need to alert the Kids Next Door."_

_Hoagie folded up the paper and returned it to Monty,_

_"It's nothing to worry about." he assured his friend._

_"We're still going to warn the other teen operatives about this." Monty stated._

_"Fine, but not tonight - Betty and I have a date."_

_"Oh, and there's other bad news."_

_"Hm?"_

_"We're moving back to England."_

_"_WHAT_?!"_

_"Pappy said that, after the school year, we were moving."_

_"But...you'll still be in the Kids Next Door, right?"_

_"Probably not. You see, I've enjoyed my time in the Kids Next Door, but I just don't think I'm needed anymore. From what I hear, some newer operatives don't think I even _existed_."_

_"How could they think that?! After all you've done, those kids don't even think Numbuh Zero was real?"_

_"It's just a few kids, Hoagie. But, like I was saying, the Kids Next Door can go on without me. Heck, even if Ben ever does make that Delightfulization Chamber, if we just warn the other operatives, they could handle it. Plus, I don't think the Kids Next Door are gonna face a threat like Pappy again. I mean, just look at who they're up against _now_ - most of the villains they've been fighting lately have just been a bunch of scrawny teen villains."_

_"Like John and Timothy?"_

_"I think they like to go by their last names now - Wink and Fibb. Anyway, I'm gonna have myself decommissioned just before I move."_

_"But...we'll still be friends, right?"_

_"Well, not all of our memories of each other involve the Kids Next Door...I guess so, Hoagie."_

_The bell rang, interrupting the boys' conversation. Both Hoagie and Monty silently got up from their table and headed to their respective classes._

_---_

Nigel, after searching through the basement of the Delightful Mansion, had finally found Father's "inner sanctum". He was sneaking around the lair, looking for something that could clue him into what was going on.

_Just because Numbuh Two has to lay low doesn't mean that _someone_ can't find out what Father's up to_, Nigel thought to himself,_ After all, my teammate AND best friend is involved..._

Suddenly, Nigel heard someone approaching, and immediately hid behind a piece of machinery. He heard Father's voice conversing with someone, as if speaking into a communicator or cell phone, and listened carefully.

"Are you SURE you looked?" Father's voice questioned, "...How many times do I have to tell you? It's NONE of your BUSINESS!...Fine, go ahead! Quit! I'm sure I can find plenty more ice cream men to take your place!"

Nigel heard a tiny _beep_, as if the communicator or cell phone was being shut off, then heard Father walking into the lair, his footsteps echoing.

"Whoever's hiding better come out now," Father said, "Before I MAKE you."

Nigel, prepared for whatever Father had in store, jumped out from behind the machinery.

"I'll get to the point." Nigel said, reaching for the 2x4 weapons in his pockets, "What do you want with Numbuh Two's dad?"

---

Hoagie and Tommy headed back to the living room to find the source of the thud. The first thing they noticed was that there was now a rectangle-shaped hole in the ceiling. Right below it was the missing piece of ceiling, with a _very_ dusty box on it. Hoagie approached the box first, and brushed off the dust. Underneath the dust layer were three familiar letters.

"K...N...D." Hoagie read.

"Open it!" Tommy urged, "It could help us out!" At this urging, Hoagie lifted the box's lid off and both he and his brother looked inside at the contents.

Inside were small blueprints, an occasional ancient piece of 2x4 technology, and various other KND-related papers. There was one, however, that caught the brothers' eyes. It was a very beat-up piece of paperwork, and would not have been eye-catching if it weren't for the fact that parts of it had been burned off. Hoagie carefully lifted it and tried to make out what had been hurriedly written.

"What's it say?" Tommy asked.

"It looks like some kind of mission report," Hoagie said, "From...'Undercover Agent Hoagie P. Gilligan'. I can't read much of it, though."

"What can you read?"

"'Failed mission...Sector Z was kidnapped by...' Well, here, he crossed out 'Benedict Uno' and replaced 'Father' - wait, FATHER kidnapped the long-lost Sector Z?!"

"Who?"

"You weren't in the Kids Next Door long enough to know about them. Anyway...um, parts of it are kinda burnt here, but from what I can tell, Dad and Father got into a fight. 'He probably wants revenge for...'"

"Revenge for what?"

"I dunno...that's burnt, too. Wait a minute! Check this out!"

Tommy looked at the paper and peered at the unburnt corner of it that Hoagie had pointed at, where a date had been written.

"He wrote it a week before he disappeared!" Tommy exclaimed.

"We gotta contact the treehouse and tell Numbuh One." Hoagie said, pulling out a communicator. He turned it on, and waited for Nigel to pick up. Eventually, on its small screen appeared the image of one of his teammates. But instead of Nigel, as Hoagie had expected, the teammate that had answered his call was Abby, while Kuki and Wally were in the background, watching.

"Numbuh Five?" Hoagie asked, "Where's Numbuh One? I found something that could help us."

"Numbuh One went off by himself." Abby answered, "Said he was gonna investigate what Father's up to for you. But..."

"But what?"

"He tried to contact us about a minute ago, but it was cut off."

"So...you think something's happened to him?!"

All three operatives back at the treehouse shared worried looks, as they were unsure how to answer.

"We'll contact Global Command and see what they can do." Abby finally answered. The screen then turned to black, as a tiny "End Transmission" typed out.

Hoagie then heard some rustling, and turned to see Tommy rummaging through the box.

"What are you doing?" Hoagie asked his brother.

"Seeing if there's anything we can use." Tommy answered, "Are we gonna rescue Numbuh One or find Dad first? Because I kinda need to know what kind of mission we're going on before - "

"We're not going anywhere! Global Command told us to lay low!"

"But they're both in danger!"

"Look, Tommy, there's already operatives looking for Dad. And I'm sure that the Kids Next Door will be able to rescue Numbuh One, too."

"But how do we know they won't be too late to rescue him? And what about Dad? How do we know that Father won't find him first? I mean, there's probably something here that could help us find him faster - "

"Tommy..." Hoagie interrupted, then thought about what had just been said. His brother _did _have a point.

"...we'll split up." Hoagie finally said, after a few moments of silence, "One of us will find Dad, and the other will rescue Numbuh One."

"I'll go find Dad." Tommy volunteered, "And I think I found something here that could help me."


End file.
